New Poll: Rep. Donna Edwards Remains Ahead in Senate Race

Reps. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are in a tight race for the U.S. Senate. ¬†A new polls shows that Edwards remains ahead. ¬†It also shows that those polled are splitting along racial lines. ¬†Even though Van Hollen has enjoyed support from local leaders in Maryland, the poll may be displaying that, once again, endorsements do not necessarily sway the decisions of voters.

Though the new Washington Post polls shows Edwards ahead of Van Hollen 44-40, it also demonstrated that Van Hollen leads by 23 percentage points among white women. However¬†Edwards has a 51-point lead with Black women. That could be a key to an Edwards victory.

Over the last two presidential election cycles, Black women have led all other groups in voting percentage. ¬†Primary day in Maryland, April 26, will be the same day that Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders will be competing in the presidential primary. ¬†The higher turnout levels mixed with the power of Black female voters should¬†play in Edwards favor.

Edwards is celebrated¬†as a strong progressive who worked her way up from local activist to defeat former Congressman Al Wynn, who is now a lobbyist. ¬†Edwards also became a leader in the U.S. House and became at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. ¬†In 2014, DailyKos pushed for Edwards to be the Chair of the DCCC, but House Democratic Leader ben Ray Lujan selected Rep. Ben Ray Lujan instead.

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About the Author

lauren victoria burke

Lauren Victoria Burke is a writer, comms strategist and political analyst. She created Crewof42 in 2009. The blog focuses on African American members of Congress and Black political power regardless of party. Ms. Burke also writes for NBC BLK, The Root, NNPA and is the Managing Editor of Politic365. As part of a diverse career in politics and media, she has also served as a congressional staffer for the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) and Director of Communications for Justin Fairfax of Lt. Governor of Virginia. She appears each Monday on weekly on NewsOneNow with Roland Martin on TVOne. Ms. Burke holds a B.A. in History from The American University. Email: LBurke007@gmail.com. Twitter: @LVBurke.